Sharpener for meat slicing machines



y My W. A. VAN 55mm.

V SHARPENER FOR MEAT SLICING MACHINES v Filed March 12, 195C) 2 SheecS -Sheer, l

? ffirz m aMa MJ 1934 w. A. VAN BERKEL. 1,963,663

SHARPENER FOR MEAT SLICING MACHINES Filed March 12, .1930 2 sheets sheet 2 ATfYS.

Patented July 31, 1934 '1 PATENT? OFFlC'E SHARPENER FOR MEAT SLICING,

MACHINES Wilhelmus Adrianus van Berkel, Clarens, Switzerland, assignor to U. S. Slicing Machine Company, La Porte, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application March 12,

In Germany April 3, 1929 13 Claims.

My invention relates to sharpening apparatus .fOI' rotary circular knives of meat slicing machines and the like, and one of its objects is the provision of improved and efiicient means for holding the sharpening apparatus in adjusted position during operation thereof. a

Another object of the invention is the provision of automatic clamping mechanism for securing sharpening apparatus in adjusted position whe about to be operated. a l j More particularly it is the object of the present invention to provide automatic clamping mechanism to prevent sharpening apparatus from turning away from its adjusted position when the sharpening apparatus isin operative position.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevational view of sharpening apparatus for rotary circular knives of meat slicing machines, embodying my invention; V

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the post clamping mechanism shown in Fig. 1; 25

Fig. 3 is a sectiontaken substantially along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In Fig.1, the frame for. the sharpening mechanism comprises a tubular portion 3 which is adapted to slide vertically on the post 4, the latter being secured to the support 5 on the frame of the meat slicing machine. A sector plate 6 is provided with conical recesses 7, 7 on the lower side thereof for receiving the upper conical end of 'a pin 8 on the support 5. By lifting the sharpening mechanism including the tubular portion 3, the grinding wheels 9 and 10 may be moved into position to clear the rotary slicing machine knife 11, whereupon the sharpening apparatus :may be rotated on the post 4unti1 the left-hand recess 7 may be lowered onto the pin 8 to hold the sharpening apparatusin its inoperative position.

To the supporting frame of the sharpening apparatus is rigidly connected the tubular extensions l2 and 13 which serve to support respectively the primary or sharpening grinding wheel 9 and the secondary or burr removing grinding wheel 10. The grinding wheel 9 is secured to a spindle 9' rotatable in a cylindrical bearing lo' to which is secured .a pin 14 in position to extend into the helical groove 15 in the drum 16; t

i The bearing 10 is slidable longitudinally within the tubular extension 12. (See Fig. 3.) TI'hapin 1930, Serial No. 435.118

is guided longitudinally by the Walls of a 5101; la formed in-the tubular extension 12. v

By means of a knurled knob 17.and the springpressedslip clutch 18.;the drum 16 may be rotated so as to secure rotation of the cam slot 15. The drum.16 and the knob 17 are loosely journaled on the bolt-.19. The clutch 18 ispressed towardthe, drum ld-by a spring 18f and recesses 20 are formed in the end of thedrum concentric with the axis of rotation thereof. Therefore rotationof theknob 17 and drumldwillcause the cam. slot 15 to engage the pin :14 and positively move the grinding wheel 9 into engagement with the beveled edge of the slicing machine knife. 11 This pressure is limitedby the clutch 18 because when the pressure of the wheel on the knife 11 exceeds the predetermined limit, the clutch 18 will slip into the next recess 20 while the drum 16' remains stationary..

"Ihe burr removing grinder -10 is mounted on the spindle 21 which is-journaled in a sleeve bear- -ing 22 connected 1 to the moving block 23. A spring 24 is located between the block 25 on the supporting frameandthe block 23.- This spring therefore constantly urges the burr removing grindenlO toward the knife-11. r V l A lever26 is pivoted to the supporting'fr ame and is providedwithnoses 27 and 28 between the rear endofthe spindle Z1 and the camf29 integral with the drum 16, when the drum 1'6 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction by means ofthe knob 17 and, the clutch-1 8, the cam 29 is moved into-such positionthat itsinclined cam surface 30- will release thenose 28 and permit the spring 24 to move the burr removing grinder 10 into engagement with the knife 11. i The sharpening apparatus thus fardescribed above is shown, described and claimed in my co,- pending application Serial No, 435,117 filed March 12, 1 930 for an improvement inSharpening apparatus for rotary circular knives of meat slicing machines.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the grinding wheels which are mountedto rotate on spindles are arranged to move toward and from the rotary slicing machine knife and that such movement is effected by sliding sleeve bearings 1Q and 22 longitudinally of the tubular extensions 12. and 13.. After the grinding wheels have been moved away from the slicing machine knife, 1

" the sharpening mechanism as a unit may. be taken entirely from the machine, by lifting the same off-the post 4 or rotated on the latter until the pin 8 engages the left-hand recess, 7 as shown in Fig. 1, to holdthesharpening apparatus in its inoperative position. After long use of the apparatus there may be so much wear between the post 4 and the tubular member 3 that the sharpening mechanism is not held with sufficient rigidity and firmness on its support 5 during operation of the grinding wheels. This results in so much vibration during operation of the grinding wheels that the sharpening of the knife 11 becomes unsatisfactory. I have therefore provided means for automatically clamping the supporting frame of the sharpening mechanism to the post 4 to eliminate these disadvantages.

In the drawings I haveshown a dog 31 secured to an eccentric cam 32 journaled on the pin 33 which is secured in fixed position to the bracket 34 on the rear side of the tubular member 3 above the sector plate 6. A slot 35 is provided in the tubular member 3 to permit the cam 32 to engage the post 4 as shown in Fig. 1.

Rigidly connected to the dog 31 and cam 32 is a depending arm 36 in position to be engaged by the spring 37, the rear end of which is located in a recess 38 in the block 39 secured to the tubular member 3. The spring 37 constantly urges the arm 36 in such a direction as to move the cam 32 into engagement with the post 4 to effect clamping of the tubular member 3 to the post 4 and prevent turning of the sharpening apparatus relatively to the post 4. p

A radial pin 40 is located on the drum 15 above the outer end portion of the dog 31 in position to engage the latter when the drum is turned in a clockwise direction. When the grinding operation has been completed the knob 17 together with the cam drum 16 are rotated so as to effect the removal of the grinding wheels 9 and 10 from the circular knife 11. Such rotation of the knob 17 and drum 16 is in a clockwise direction and may be continued until the pin 40 engages the dog 31 and moves the same from its position shown in dotted lines to its position shown in full lines, against the action of the spring 37. The full line position is the position of rest and in this position the cam 32 is released from the post 4.

Although the spring 37 by acting on the arm 36 constantly urges the cam 32 into engagement with the post 4 and consequently tends to cause the arm 36 by engaging the pin 40 to rotate the drum 16 in an anti-clockwise direction when released, such tendency may be resisted by the friction between the pin 14 and the cam groove 15 along the rear portion thereof shown in dotted lines at 15 in Fig. l, and the cam 32 held released after the knob 17 is released.

It can readily be seen by referring to Fig. 1 that when it is desired to move the grinding wheels into engagement with the knife 11 the knob 1'? should be turned in an anti-clockwise direction and as soon as this takes place the pin 40 will be moved upwardly to permit the spring 37 to move the dog 31 from its full line position to its dotted line position, which movement causes the cam 32 to engage the post 4 and clamp the sharpening apparatus as a unit against rotation on the post 4. Therefore as soon as the grinding wheels are about to be moved to their operative positions, the supporting frame of the sharpening apparatus will be clamped to the post 4 to hold such supporting frame rigidly and firmly in the desired position as determined by the pin 8 fitting in the recess or socket 7 shown at the right in Fig. 1. The clamping operation therefore takes place before either grinding wheel engages the knife 11 and the supporting frame remains clamped. to

the post 4 until after the grinding wheels have been moved out of engagement with the knife. When the grinding wheels are in their inoperative positions, however, the cam 32 is in its released position and then the sharpening apparatus as a unit is free tobe moved vertically on the post 4 and also free to be rotated thereon.

A cam 32 clamps the sleeve 3 solidly on the post 4 and prevents any vibratory movement of the post and sleeve relative to each other regardless of wear which may occur between the parts. In other words, the cam provides a means whereby the sleeve and consequently the grinding mechanism are solidly held except when it is desired to move the grinding mechanism to and from its operative position, or to remove the grinding mechanism from the post.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended and I wish therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus fully disclosed an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A sharpener comprising sharpening mechanism, comprising a supporting frame therefor, a post for slidably receiving said frame and on which said frame may turn, an automatic clutch for preventing said frame from turning on said post when said sharpening mechanism is in operative position, means for effecting movement of said sharpening mechanism into'and out of operative positions, and means for releasing said clutch when said sharpening mechanism is moved to inoperative position. a

2. In sharpening apparatus for meat slicing machines, the combination with a frame having a tubular member, of a post on which said tubular member is slidable, a cam pivotally mounted on said tubular member in position to extend through a slot therein and engage said post, mechanism comprising a spring for applying said cam to said post, a releasing dog connected to said cam, sharpening mechanism on said frame and movable bodily therewith on said post, and means for engaging said dog to hold said cam released when said sharpening mechanism is in inoperative position.

3. In a sharpening apparatus for slicing machine knives, the combination with a support, of a frame, grinding mechanism carried by said frame, a co-operating adjustable connection between said frame and support, means for moving said grinding mechanism to an operative or inoperative position, holding means for preventing relative adjustment of said frame and support, and means operable by the means which moves the grinding mechanism to inoperative position for releasing said holding means as said grinding mechanism nears its inoperative position to thereby prevent relative movement of said adjustable connection between said frame and support until said grinding mechanism has moved substantially to its inoperative position, said holding means being releasable manually independently of the position of said guiding member.

4. In a grinding apparatus for slicing machine knives, the combination with a support, of a frame slidably mounted on said support, grinding mechanism mounted on said frame, a clamp for preventing sliding movement of said frame relative to said support in one directon, said clamp being constructed to automatically increase its clamping action when a force is applied in a direction to move said frame in said direction, and a rigid abutment for preventing movement of the frame in the opposite direction, said clamping mechanism being automatically operative to clamp said frame against sliding movement.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 in which said rigid abutment has means thereon co-acting with means on said frame for preventing rotative movement of said frame relative to said support.

6. In a grinding apparatus for slicing machines the combination with a support, of a frame slidably mounted on said support, clamping means normally urged into operative position for clamping said frame against movement relativeto said support, grinding mechanism mounted on said frame, and means operable upon the movement of said grinding mechanism to inoperative position for releasing said clamping means, and means for releasing said clamping means manually and independently of the position of said grinding mechanism.

7. In a sharpening apparatus, the combination with sharpening mechanism, a cam for controlling the position of said sharpening mechanism, means for clamping said sharpening mechanism firmly in adjusted position and independently of said cam, and means operable by said cam for releasing said clamping means when said grinding mechanism is moved to inoperative position.

8. In a sharpening apparatus for slicing machine knives, the combination with a main support, of an auxiliary support, sharpening mechanism carried by said auxiliary support, a springpressed cam on one of said supports engaging means on the other of said supports for holding said supports rigidly against movement relative to each other, said spring normally urging said clamp to clamping position, a cam for operating said sharpening mechanism to move said sharpening mechanism to operative and inoperative positions and means actuated by said cam as it moves in a direction to move said sharpening mechanism toward its inoperative position for releasing said clamp.

9. A sharpening apparatus for slicing machine knives comprising a support, a frame vertically and rotatably movable on said support, a grinding element mounted on said frame, a burr removing element mounted on said frame, a cam for positively moving said grinder toward and from said knife and for preventing retrograde movement thereof when said grinder is moved to any adjusted position, a cam for controlling the movement of said burr removing element in a direction away from knife engaging position, a spring for moving said burr removing element toward knife engaging position, a cam for locking said frame in adjusted position on said support, means for moving said last mentioned cam into operative position when either said grinder or said sharpening element are in engagement with said knife, and for maintaining said last mentioned clamp in that position, and means controlled by the movement of said grinder and burr removing element to inoperative positions for releasing said last mentioned cam whereby said frame may be moved relative to said support.

10. In a sharpening apparatus for slicing machine knives, the combination with a support, of a frame for carrying the sharpening mechanism,

a grinding element on said frame, a burr removing element on said frame, said elements being both slidably movable on said frame in a direction toward and from the knife to be sharpened, a cam for positively moving said sharpening element to and from its knife engaging position and for maintaining said sharpening element in knife engaging position against retrograde movement, a cam for moving said burr removing element away from its knife engaging position, means for moving said burr removing element toward knife engaging position, a single rotatable element carrying both of said cams, a locking cam on said frame adapted to engage means on said support to lock said frame on said support, operating means for said locking cam, and means on said rotatable member for engaging the operating means for said locking cam as said grinding element and burr removing element are moved toward inoperative positions for releasing said cam whereby said frame may be moved relative to said support.

11. A sharpener comprising a sharpening mechanism, a supporting frame for said sharpening mechanism, a clamping dog carried by said supporting frame, a support, means on said support directly engaged by said clamping dog, means comprising a spring for moving said clamping dog positively into clamping engagement with said means on said support for preventing shifting or vibratory movement of said frame relative to said support, means for moving said sharpening mechanism into an inoperative position, and mechanism connected directly to the means for moving said sharpening mechanism for actuating said dog to release the same if and when said sharpening mechanism is moved to an inoperative position.

' 12. A sharpener comprising a sharpening mechanism, a supporting frame for said sharpening mechanism, a clamping dog carried by said supporting frame, a support, means on said support directly engaged by said clamping dog, means comprising a spring for moving said clamping dog positively into clamping engagement with said means on said support for preventing shifting or vibratory movement of said frame relative to said support, means for moving said sharpening mechanism into an inoperative position, and mechanism connected directly to the means for moving said' sharpening mechanism for actuating said dog to release the same if and when said sharpening mechanism is moved to an inoperative position, said mechanism being automatically controlled by the means for moving said sharpening mechanism to an inoperative position.

13. In a sharpener for slicing machines, the combination with a supporting frame, of sharpening mechanism on said frame, a support for said frame, means for positively locking said frame on said support against movement with respect thereto comprising gripping elements ar ranged between said frame and said support for binding said frame firmly against said support with a positive clamping action, and means cooperating with means on said sharpening mechanism for automatically locking said frame against said support if and when said sharpening mechanism is moved into operative position.

WILHELMUS ADRIANUS VAN BERKEL. 

